tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74216131967705642512018-03-06T04:08:09.265+05:30The Literary Society BlogRAMJAS COLLEGEThe Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-64806901785288015172010-11-04T14:22:00.001+05:302010-11-04T14:24:00.391+05:30Winter GirlBeautiful tied hair and pale, white skin <br />Athletic jacket and petite feet skim across<br />the uphill road, <br />moist with little or no attention<br />Not yet a woman, she makes her way to the <br />phone booth<br />Enquiry about school work<br />Returns with water for the house.<br />Utters words of sweet affection <br />from lips of living red.<br />Cuddles nagging grandmother<br />Retires to her room, pushing pillows<br />Orders hot-pot, silently makes tea<br />Accelerates her fingers on the computer keyboard,<br />eyes full of light<br />yawns for speed, forgets meals<br />Fingers peppermint gum from school blazer<br />Decides to do something to her hair<br />Contemplates a local scarf<br />Rouge for the party, <br />and coloured cushions and new gossip for the long due sleepover<br />Revises what to say to rivals<br />Photos of glam friends and the weirdo<br />Diary entry, lifetime experience.<br />__________________________________________<br /><br />Rajorshi Basu<br />B.A. (H) English 1st year<br />Ramjas collegeThe Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-36002749904464595492010-10-23T01:32:00.000+05:302010-10-23T01:32:16.177+05:30A Ray Of Hope<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She still waits beneath the Peepul to see his smile in the fading sunlight. In the silhouette of the tree, she often lays her feet and caresses the mud with her toes to feel the clay clusters on her barren skin. Its sprinkles kiss her, her barrenness, where he lingers like her sweat. His feel is most prominent upon her lips which have learnt the shiver of his touch. She keeps them untouched, allowing the rub of his thumbs to dwell over them and conceal gher grief with his press. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The silence of the house should have compressed her, making her smell only dust and vagueness. But in the play of pretence, she moulds him up with fiction where his pillow makes her sleep on it, his clothes begin to talk like him and the sound of his shoes trail through the unseen corners of the corridoor. She looks at his crumpled shirt, a pair of socks and a white handkerchief placed untidily on a motionless wooden chair. It seems as if they were placed in the same manner in which they were left behind when he left her. She picks up that frilled shirt and hugs it.In the grey contours of his shirt, she finds his droplets of sweat piled up and her soul blooms up with his scent.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A fortnight has passed since he had been buried in the nearby graveyard. She had seen his dead body. On that day, he appeared to her like a child pretending to sleep who could wake up any moment if the rain dropped on his eyes. But the rain didn't come as it did when their eyes had first met. Instead the skywore a subterfuge of calmness and made her wear one too. So for the first three-four days she suppressed her raw emotions. Next, she began losing her senses and later, when she learnt to put together reminiscence and make reality, she started becoming a sponge. A sponge which could suppress all feelings but release none. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She started a game of hide and seek to arouse him from his slumber of death. Reading those anniversary over and over again, intermittently listening to the sound of wind chimes and staring at the photo albums became the sole priority of her existence. She even cooked his favorite spaghetti on the sullen afternoons, watched the sports channels beside his sofa and prepared his bed at night. Within the pale contours of the house, she half consumed her own self and the other half of her consciousness became motionless like the window of their bedroom. Yet, she refused to free herself from the prison full of broken hinges, of creaky coverings whose key hung heavily over her heart. Neither did she lose it nor did she unbolt herself and saw to it that no one dared to throw it away from her. The impulse of preserving memories was deep rooted in her, ever since he had married her. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Evenings came and faded away slowly. Concentric shadows dimmed the ceilings and as they reached the floorings, murky patches developed which seemed to swallow the life of the house. The smell of ruin began to coalesce. Something, had to save it from dereliction. Someone had to save her from herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In the middle of the night as she lay down near his pillow, pretending sleep and peace, joy and contentment, an astral drop of dew fell upon her. She looked towards the open window. Slowly but certainly the sky was breaking its subterfuge. It was starting to rain. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A drop fell, then another and soon drizzle accompanied by a gust of wind opened her braids of hair. The steady moments of her body filled up with the noise of shifting sands, the gnawing of a rat and the murmur of raindrops. But no where was the smell of violets or the touch of blossom. Even the pillow didn't make her sleep on it, the clothes didn't talk like him and the faintest sound of footsteps could not be heard. She clasped onto her key tightly. The rain dropped heavily than before, She tried hard. The rain grew fiercer. The key fell down...<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The drizzle fermented her grief and she cried without a single sigh in her breath. For, she had no more sighs left to her. Her weary hop of his arrival was a play she had been playing for long fourteen days in front of the mute observers of her house. Now the play was over and she had exhausted her fabricated dreams. She had no more script left to enact. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She spent all the hours of darkness sitting on the cold floor of their bedroom. The pain somehow made her feel a little alive than before. As she was beginning to gain some strength, dawn began breaking out and suddenly something struggled inside her. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She started trembling and placed her palm near her womb. How could she forget that he was still with her? She felt the implacable warmth of a familiar touch daunting her fortitude of existence and breathing the breath of her lost yesterdays. She was sure, it was him. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She opened the window wide, very wide and noticed a faint light. She felt a glint of love in her world after destiny burnt its roots. She felt her freezed blood surge inside her as she embraced him. The sun shone again, behind the peepul tree, spreading rays of a new smile, a new touch, a ray of hope...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">______________________________________________</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Kaustav B. Kashyap</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">B.A. (H) English</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">1st Year</span></span></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-88071706224633093512010-10-20T17:42:00.000+05:302010-10-20T17:42:28.619+05:30"LET SUCCESS REIGN"<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="100%" style="color: #330000; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 32px; table-layout: fixed;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; white-space: nowrap;" valign="top"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="white-space: normal;"><tbody><tr><td style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: 'Courier New', courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="white-space: normal;"><tbody><tr><td height="15" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: 'Courier New', courier, monaco, monospace, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I&nbsp;have come thine life,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">To soothe and</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">To cherrish thy enthusiastic mood.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">I blow the breeze that wrafts,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">The paean of your merry victory,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">To the manfolk who denies your glory.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">and thus make thou bole,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">Out of the melee of the dolt.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div><span style="font-size: small;">As the mood of melancholy descends,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">Upon those who seeks my shelter,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">As if i bind them with tether.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">Why do they blame me?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">For i am only a reaction,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">They are the one who performed the action.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">But above all,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">I do carry positive vibes;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">For the one who tries&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">To recollect their slivered dreams</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">And rekindle into his boulevard of success.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">You may say 'Let success reign;</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">for failure pains'.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">But thou should remember</span></div><div><span style="font-size: small;">'I still remain the pillar of success.'</span></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; S.W.Subhani&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;B.Sc. Phy(H)1st year</div></div><div><br /></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></span></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-52200470782499759002010-10-14T22:39:00.000+05:302010-10-14T22:39:18.423+05:30What is a great book? Or How I learned to deal with Twilight.<div class="postbody"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">For me it’s a book I just can’t put down… Sleep, food, (hygiene as a whole)are all forgotten as I feel compelled to turn page after page just to see what happens next. It is so well penned that you can paint a picture of things as they happen. It gives you that funny feeling of giddiness in your stomach. You identify with characters. You cry when they cry, you laugh when they laugh (cliché but apt). I go into a bookstore with the intent of buying something new, but everytime I go there I make a pilgrimage to the 12 book series by Robert Jordan (Akash &amp; Manan are willing to testify) sometimes to read a favorite part mostly just to bring a smile to my face. Essentially that’s what a good book does it brings a big grin on your face when you remember the great time you had reading it. I look at my copy of the Half-Blood Prince and still remember how white knuckled I was when Snape killed Dumbledore (well if you didn’t know that by now, you must live under a rock). Sometimes you even find a book that lets you take away a little nugget of wisdom forever after (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, anyone?) which makes your life just a tad better. Mainly a great book is a window to happiness, a time to forget the world and get lost in a whole new one.<br />Good books just don’t pop out fully formed. There is a preliminary idea which must be slathered with well penned prose, a strong plotline and well sketched characters. (And this doesn’t happen over a summer in the </span><st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hamptons</span></st1:place></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> like Castle wants to believe). Most authors, Tolkien, </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rowling</span></st1:city><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jordan</span></st1:country-region></st1:place><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, Brown take years thrashing out the details and penning their fantastic stories.<br />A great book innate in its goodness is similar to listening to a great symphony, or watching a canvas painted by a master, they are all things of beauty (thank you for that one, Mr. Keats).<br />But we have progressed a great deal since 19th century when Keats lived in. And phrases such as “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” have been invented and must be kept in mind. So, I guess, the last and most crucial component for making any book or song or movie great are us, the recipients. A lot depends on how we feel about a book in our hearts, minds and in our stomach (remember the giddiness I talked about?). It could just so happen that you pick that one dusty copy of a book which the critics have thrashed and people have ignored; and you go home, sit comfortably tucked in your bed and start reading it and soon find yourself under the author’s spell. And as you re-read the final line you find that the sun’s up and it’s a brand new day, the hours having passed by unnoticed as you read enraptured.<br />So what if that book’s sales were dismal and critics called the author a “nincompoop”? If you loved the book and if it gave you happiness then at least as far as you are concerned it was a thing of beauty and thus a great book; and there is no one who has any right to force you to see otherwise.<br />This I guess applies for my feud with Twilight. Twilight provides joy to millions of readers world wide (readers or should I just say females?). And if they like it and it brings them happiness, then for them it is a great book and who am I to say otherwise?</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="postbody"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="postbody"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Makarand Mahajan</span></div><div class="postbody"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">B.Com (H) 2nd year</span></div><form> </form><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-71863048796493415162010-10-09T23:50:00.003+05:302010-10-10T00:57:18.534+05:30Voice Of The UndiscoveredPeople find it hard to digest that the state of Jharkhand can in itself be a huge diversity in art and archeology. For years, I have been observing people and lately, my friends sporting some authentic art pieces produced in their own states. The traditional 'gamacha' of Assam, Madhubani Paitings from Bihar, Shell works of coastal states etc. had left me with a question that would Jharkhand ever get a chance to produce its own art-form ever?<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/TLCtkowL5XI/AAAAAAAAAEU/ApG5qfh9ma4/s1600/Image4706.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/TLCtkowL5XI/AAAAAAAAAEU/ApG5qfh9ma4/s200/Image4706.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A sohrai painting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The art form was not technically produced rather it was revived. I'm talking about Sohrai and Kohvar paintings which are practiced hugely in villages deep in forest where a common pair eyes would fail to notice even a single colour. After a big struggle which lasted for more than five years, Hazaribagh has finally got a platform to showcase these art-forms to the world, The Urban Haat. Situated on the 'life line of Jharkhand' NH 31, the place offers many Hazaribagh based paintings, handicrafts, furnitures and other handloom materials. This initiative by the government of Jharkhand took a raher long time to show up but this in turn did two things- provided my answer and finally, made a way to those hardworking artists to earn some money to live and continue the tradition.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/TLCwxFgHgsI/AAAAAAAAAEY/OMcIUj2XSk4/s1600/Image4864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/TLCwxFgHgsI/AAAAAAAAAEY/OMcIUj2XSk4/s320/Image4864.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanskriti Museum</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Recently, I had an opportunity to meet Mr. Bulu Imam. Mr. Imam is Convener,Hazaribagh chapter, INTACH, New Delhi and has published many books, journals and papers on the whole art-forms of Jharkhand. His little personal museum, Sanskriti is set in unadulterated nature plus, the whole area radiates the look of British grandeur. With little or rather almost no help from the administration and the state, Mr. Imam has managed to run the museum and popularize these art-forms in countries like Australia, Italy, Germany and other states of India. One can not help but notice the irony when I say 'other states of India' because the very reception of these arts in Urban Jharkhand is low and limited to the elite section of the society who can afford to purchase a single piece a Sohrai for a sum of 130 rupees. The high percentage of&nbsp;unprivileged section of the society makes it even harder for their reception. Another factor in this case is ignorant behaviour of the state government in this area. Mr. Imam doesn't forget to state a sad fact- the whole museum is run by his own pocket plus exhibitions where he showcases these paintings are also arranged and paid by him. A certificate of appreciation from Doordarshan is what he has got from the 'government'. But nevertheless, the old man feels happy if someone comes at his door to see his museum and that happiness is beyond anything. That smile and enthusiasm with which he explains about the cave paintings, sohrai, kohvar, rocks, megalithic sites shows a hint of success he has achieved in continuing his feat and justifying himself as a voice of the undiscovered.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/TLCx1XPy-6I/AAAAAAAAAEc/DVV5oknQaBY/s1600/Image4907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/TLCx1XPy-6I/AAAAAAAAAEc/DVV5oknQaBY/s320/Image4907.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Imam in his office</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In coming days, I'll be visiting Isco, a site which harbours a rock art gallery and also when I'll return, I'd be visiting Sanskriti again in order to know more about the man himself plus to participate in this whole movement which he has initiated.<br />____________________________________________<br /><br />Mihir Vatsa<br />(Off. Mihir Kumar Jha)<br />B.A. (H) English 2nd yearThe Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-68603518474918388772010-09-19T09:45:00.000+05:302010-09-19T09:45:25.308+05:30IT’S NOT A CLICHÉ<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Do you sometimes feel that you are alone,<br />In this ocean of people,<br />Nobody to call your own?<br />Do you sometimes need to hurt yourself,<br />To stop the tears from flowing?<br />Or tell someone you are totally fine,<br />When actually you are hurting?<br />Have you ever walked into the rain,<br />And called your tears raindrops?<br />Have you ever cried so much,<br />It makes you feel like your heart stopped?<br />Do you ever feel neglected and all alone,<br />No one to speak too, no one to call your own?<br />Have you ever felt so unhappy,<br />That your tears are not enough?<br />Have you ever swallowed a sob,<br />To show the world you are tough?<br />Have you ever bought a friendship card,<br />And kept it as your own?<br />If you have, let me tell you,<br />YOU ARE NOT ALONE...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">P.S.: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It may sound a cliché that you are not alone. But its true on the other hand that there is someone looking up at you and caring for you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In this world, everything inspires everything. You just need to find it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">-Shwetank Jain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">B. Com (Hons); II year</span></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-47125252985753243842010-09-12T14:48:00.000+05:302010-09-12T14:48:15.412+05:30Welcoming all, again!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This post is, perhaps, a little late in the year than it should have ideally been, but nevertheless, before we begin posting anything else, it seems only right to let our new members know something about The Literary Society, Ramjas College.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As we enter our fifth year as a Society, we can feel justifiably proud of ourselves, of what we have been, what we are and what we plan to evolve into. Five years may not be much, but they’re still a landmark and so we wish to make this year as special and enriching as can be.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But something on the Society first. To our freshers then, welcome: our society, the Literary Society, affectionately the Lit Soc, is officially an autonomous entity under Expressions, a conglomeration of societies under our ECAC. We deal, as our name suggests, with all things literary. That covers a whole range of activities: from reading and writing sessions to film screenings, from spell-a-thons to panel discussions, there’s an entire gamut of events at once exciting and enriching that fall under the aegis of a literary society. Our Lit Soc is a platform for both budding creative writers as well as aspiring critics to air their opinions and discuss a wide range of issues in a manner as free from bias and prejudice as is possible. Innovation, creativity and ingenuity are encouraged and are in ways more than one quite the hallmark.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">What’s more – and which, as far as I know, is just in Ramjas – we’re also a bilingual society, which means that we’re open to Hindi along with English and as such carry out activities in both. These activities, as I’ve indicated, are varied and are organized throughout the year as separate inter and intra college events and also as part of our annual, inter-college fest Wordsmith, an event which is the culmination, but not the end, of our efforts as a society. This covers a variety of our most appealing events, including literary quiz, spelling bee, paper presentation and movie review, all of which are centered on a specially chosen theme.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Besides Wordsmith, the other, sort of year long exercise, are our journals. These, published till now as a monthly, four page newsletter, offer not just society members but also the student community at large in Ramjas, and, if need be, abroad, the opportunity to be read and reach out to a wider audience than usually available. Works submitted can be in either Hindi or English and can be in any form or genre, poetry, prose, et al. Further, the journals also act as a medium for us to announce our forthcoming events and so act as a much more effective interface between us and the student community at large than the usual word of mouth grapevine. Considering this, and the importance of the journal as a free and unbiased medium of expression to all students, we’re planning to increase the number of pages we currently have to around six or eight. We can’t vouch for that yet, but let’s hope for the best!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Moving on, just as Wordsmith is the climax of our organizational efforts, so is our annual magazine the apex of our literary and creative talents. The Annual Literary Society Magazine comes out towards the close of the academic session and as such attempts to present the best of the society’s talents. There’s no theme to this, or at least hasn’t been till now. Whether we have one or not would, of course, depend on us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Which brings me to my next point, that as a Society we function pretty democratically, in a fashion that’s as flexible and inclusive as can be. Of course, some of us might at times seem a tad dictatorial, but we’re nonetheless a consensual, open community with no written rules and policies which change every year in accordance to members’ wishes. There is, of course, a framework and certain typical things we do, but even that framework is quite open to change and alteration and as such takes different forms with different people. In that sense, the Lit Soc is what those who’re with it want it to be, a society yours and mine in perhaps the true sense of the word. That, if I may for my colleagues in the ECAC, applies I think to all of us here in Ramjas in a way seldom observed in DU, a way which I hope you will, in the three years to come, makes yours for life: open, inclusive, serious and fun.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Welcome, then again, to the old and new, the experienced and not-so-much, and all and sundry!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Hope you all have a great year ahead!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Kriti Sharma</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Literary Society</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ramjas College</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-10894664610728961732010-04-02T23:58:00.000+05:302010-04-02T23:58:59.798+05:30Annual Report (2009-2010)<div style="text-align: justify;">What does a literary society do? Others have their task easily cut out: debaters debate, musicians sing, the dramatically inclined act. What do members of a literary society do? Pursue that rare commodity, that most rarefied of entities, literature? Indulge in literary stuff? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But what precisely constitutes literary stuff? Reading and writing? Yes, undoubtedly, but anything more? Is literature all about reading and writing and so should the scope of a literary society be just the encouragement of these activities, reading and writing? But in that case, how different would such an organisation be from a library that houses books and lends them out and, further, encourages borrowers to write about them? And where indeed are these books to be stacked if a literary society was really to function like this? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">No, a literary society cannot be just this. Reading and writing should be an important component of what constitutes a literary society, but such an organisation cannot function on that alone. Literature cannot just be about reading and writing – there must be more to it… </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like what? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like, for instance, discussions. Talks. Arguments. The interchange of ideas, the flow of ideologies. However much some of us might want it to, literature’s not really isolated from the material conditions which produce it so that an organisation dedicated to literature and so-called literary pursuits should focus on this as well. Apart from encouraging reading and writing, a literary society should also generate discourse on issues topical and otherwise. ‘Topical and otherwise’ because to focus just on what’s contemporary would be to ignore totally all that has been written in previous ages whereas to remain stuck in the past would be to become socially irrelevant. Such a society must strike a balance between that which was and that which is and so determine, or at the very least predict, that which will be. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Which is precisely what we as the Ramjas College Literary Society have endeavoured to do. As publishers of monthly journals we have worked to provide members as well as the student community at large in Ramjas a free and fully unbiased forum for the creative articulation of opinions general and subjective. As organisers of inter-college seminars, workshops and panel discussions we’ve attempted to generate discourse on a wide range of issues. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We started off this year with a three day seminar on <em><strong>Politics in DU</strong></em>. Our own internal elections had already been held earlier in August and the point behind this event, organised as it was in the first week of September, was to reflect on the nature and scope of politics within this University and particularly within this college. Our speakers included Mr. Debraj Mookerjee, ex-Election Officer, Ramjas, Mr. Safwan Amir and Mr. Nayanjyoti, both former Secretaries of the Ramjas Students’ Union and Mr. Manu Pande, then Presidential candidate for the Union elections and now, of course, our successful and much-beloved Union President. Each day concluded with screening of episodes from the series <em>Yes Prime Minister!</em>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This was followed by a two day in-house seminar on music. Organised in late October and titled <strong><em>Music in Context</em></strong>, this event saw a spectrum of Society members analyse a wide range of genres from a variety of perspectives. Again, the idea here was to see how different types of music reflect, uphold and subvert different types of societal norms and institutions and in critiquing such genres as Country Folk, 80s Rock, Tibetan Folk, 50s and 60s Hindi Cinema, Gothic and Contemporary Bollywood members sought to relate music to the forces which produce it without completely stripping it of the pan-civilisational appeal that it undoubtedly possesses. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our third major event of the year was a panel discussion organised on the 19th of November. With the overarching theme as <em><strong>The Future of Theatre in India</strong></em>, the panel consisting of Mr Arvind Gaur (Founder, ASMITA), Ms Misha Singh (Director, Black Cow Company) and Ms Kaustubhi Shukla (Member, Lakshya, Kamla Nehru College) deliberated upon theatre’s pertinence as a medium for entertainment as well as social change in twenty-first century India. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The culmination of all our efforts was, of course, our annual festival <strong>WORDSMITH</strong>. The three-day fest was held from the 3rd to the 5th of February. In addition to competitive events like Creative Writing (bilingual; prose and poetry), Elocution (bilingual) and Literary Quiz that were held over the course of the three days, the fest also saw a Paper Presentation on the theme of Literature and Cities. Additionally, a Panel Discussion and Interactive Discussion on the theme Experiencing Delhi was organised on the second day; the former, a session chaired by Mr. Mukul Manglik, saw Mr Yousuf Sayeed (independent film maker), Mr Anand Taneja (a student perusing his PhD from Colombia University) and Ms Kanika Singh (research scholar in history) put into context the diverse experiences a city with a cultural heritage as rich as Delhi’s provides to those who interact with it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, in giving this catalogue of events we cannot forget the innumerable meetings and reading sessions we’ve had over the year. Much of what we do and stand for lies not as much as in these inter-college events and competitions as in these simple meetings wherein we just thrash out issues from almost all possible angles. After all, literary criticism is not just the reserve of high brow seminars and panels and in decentring it so we’ve only sought to further democratise the way everyday people conceptualise, encounter and, so, finally produce literature. Our blog (http://ramjaslitsoc.blogspot.com/) is a particularly emphatic step in this direction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The journey has been particularly remarkable so far. In the four short years of its existence, this Society has seen umpteen changes and reforms. While we got a more or less stable structure last year, this session saw us get orphaned in face of the Staff Council’s inability to get together a functional ECAC. Internally, the problem of language also remains: while we are undoubtedly bilingual, we speak and write the way we do because this is the language of our lived experience, the language we’re most comfortable in. This perhaps is symptomatic of a larger misconception, that as a Society we’re a branch of the Department of English – while we undoubtedly owe a lot to that in terms of both origin and infrastructure, yet we cater to a bigger audience than that limited by it. That this audience is not as forthcoming as we’d like it to be is a fallout both of the way we’re generally conceived as well as the way we work. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What is needed, therefore, is further decentralisation and democratisation of the way we function. We already have a precedent of office bearers from non-language departments so at that basic level our Staff Advisor in the years to come too can be any enthusiastic person from any other department. Then again, considering the recent spurt in creative writing magazines in Ramjas our successors will have to innovate in order to keep this Society relevant to as much of this college as possible. Just as literature and literary norms keep changing, so do we as a literary society need to constantly redefine the way in which literature is produced and explored in Ramjas College. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What had started off grandly as a group of fifty members has come down to a small yet efficient team of twenty. In this, if we were to look for it, none of us would really qualify as an imagined literary archetype: be it painting, singing, debating or dancing, all of us have something or the other which keeps us from the ideal. The way we look at it, this is more a cause of celebration than dismay: in the ultimate analysis, instead of being the fruition of the narrow pursuit of some Holy Grail literature in this increasingly fragmented world is the culmination of engagement with life in all its multiplicity. As a Society with no specific talent than the painstakingly cultivated power to write, spell and speak, we revel in this multiplicity and hope that it will continue to characterise the way we function in the years to come.</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-75503795181256220632010-04-02T23:20:00.000+05:302010-04-02T23:20:56.117+05:30Pornography in the Indian Context<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The motive of this paper is to examine the feasibility of the pornographic industry as a legal entity in the Indian context by taking into consideration a proportionate mix of morality and existing state of affairs. In doing so, I intend to analyze the moral position taken by the government on pornography with special reference to The Savita Bhabhi case. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pornography as a product</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The pornographic industry has settled down in most countries where internet based porn services are no more illegal. They have taken steps to ensure that the system is made use by those who are eligible to do so. They have set up separate servers for adult content, have special libraries which issue porn content to the eligible masses, licenses are issued – in short, a system is in place. The problem lies in the Indian context. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The apprehensions that I will deal with in this paper do not arise out of the idea of the so called “Indian culture”. The conservative argument terming pornography as something that is not in alignment with Indian ethos arises out of a discomfort with the physical language of love. We must understand that sexuality is not something to be ashamed or afraid of, discovering sexuality is a part of discovering oneself. Hence, this will not be any further debated in this paper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a part of the literary community the liberal argument is paramount to me – a well informed choice made by an eligible adult to consume pornography as a commodity must be respected. As it is, porn is readily available on the internet so it would be better if a system be set up in India too that will render recognition to pornography in India. In doing so we will save a number of youngsters who are many a times exposed to explicit material at a tender age. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the opinion of Psychiatrist Dr. Harish Shetty, “Pornography does affect children because they get influenced and indulge in things that they are not supposed to at a tender age. They often tend to get false information and ideas, and at times they might get addicted to these sites.” </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The problem in the Indian Context</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The core problem with legalization of pornography in India is the generation of human resource for the industry. Before the consumption of the good – porn in this case, one has to make sure that the mode of production is safeguarded. As has been seen the pornography industry has long standing roots into human trafficking, child abuse and harassment. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Case Study: “Savita Bhabhi - The sexual adventures of a Hot Indian Bhabhi”</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Savita Bhabhi - The sexual adventures of a Hot Indian Bhabhi is India's first cartoon porn website, featuring explicit depictions of the sexual adventures of a housewife named Savita. The porn site has become a face of freedom and a face of India's liberals.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In India, right to pornography is not recognized and pornography is illegal. The site and its developer came under fierce criticism recently. The Hindustan Times said in one of its headlines – “Savita Bhabhi tests India’s patience for porn”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The site was being again and again censored by the Indian government until June 2009 when it was finally banned. Initially the creator of the site had chosen to remain anonymous, going under the assumed collective name Indian Porn Empire. However in July 2009, Puneet Agarwal, the creator of the site revealed his identity after a collective movement was launched to lift the ban. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Morally, the site has found favour with India’s liberals because of two reasons:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They believe that Sexuality need not be a matter of fear or taboo in our society. It is to be accepted and accepting healthy porn is a step in that direction. They believe that the ban shows the government’s bowing down to conservatives who have drawn this consciousness of the so called “Indian tradition”. The Indian tradition however (the liberal stand) has always had a special place for sexuality - Kamasutra and the Khajurao Temples are evidences of that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Savita Bhabhi specifically has been looked upon as being representative of the sexual emancipation of women. Since long women’s sexuality and desires have been looked upon as evil. Men have on the other hand found overt sexuality a necessary advantage. A certain James Bond goes around having sex with numerous ladies and is glorified by the world. The secrecy with which female sexuality is dealt with has promoted myths such as terming woman with overt sexuality as witches. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">c) In being a cartoon porn site, this itself eradicates the link with all human resources. No human investment. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">These moral stands are further confirmed by other practical aspects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The site is ranked 85th most visited in India. It received more traffic in a day than the Bombay Stock Exchange. This certainly proves that the site serves an audience and there are takers for it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">As it is there are many sites that contain pornographic material. This pornographic material unlike Savita is objectionable and gender insensitive. The government’s act of banning the site seems is hypocrisy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Relevant Problems in the Savita Issue</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It would be unfair to say that all is right about pornography or the Savita Bhabhi website. It has found critics and rightly so in many ways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The conservatives especially have a problem with the use of the terminology “Bhabhi” or Sister in law in the material. Its use is debatable. On looking at it in the way the conservatives do – the reference can indicate a mistreatment of the female gender and especially to woman as a homemaker. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand creator Puneet Aggarwal believes that the term was essential. Savita Bhabhi is not porn made up by illogical nudity. It is an idea and has a plot. Savita is representative of the liberated Indian woman in quest for happiness and sexual satisfaction. As a result of a failed sexual relationship with her husband she turns to her brother in law. Hence the term becomes essential to give meaning to the whole idea. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The solution for this specific issue</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Savita after all is not just another porn website, it has in many ways a moral fibre to it. The Indian Government can censor this site with discretion but to ban it when every other site on the internet is much more explicit and objectionable is unfair. The cyber laws must be strengthened and appropriate amendments made to block or separate all these sites. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">My Solution based on a proportionate mix of Morality and Observation</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In words unadulterated, the two hurdles that need to be crossed before legalization of pornography in India are:</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There needs to be a cleansing of the system. A total dismantling of the network that exists and creates human resource for the industry. This network include the sixty thousand beggars of Delhi and numerous thousand children kept in corrupt orphanages. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A definition needs to be arrived for morally correct pornography. A censorship be constituted that will keep a check on the content of these sites. Separate servers for adult content be formed. If need be, porn be rather made available in public libraries and licenses issued. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">- Arpit Kumar</div><div style="text-align: right;">B.A. (Hons.) English; I Yr.</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-7345760836077132872009-12-10T20:19:00.000+05:302009-12-10T20:19:14.194+05:30Bright Days<div style="text-align: center;">The bright days that we had <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Are past us, a new world awaits<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;have no expectations,&nbsp;I ask no more <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But then how glorious it would be <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To have a few more<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I want to see more of you<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There are times when&nbsp;I miss<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And then times when&nbsp;I desire<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sometimes feels like fire<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;have things to share <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For which chocolates do not suffice<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;am scared and scarred<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Of these games of cat and mice<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The new world calls me <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">To break the ice<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;find solace in the sky<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Feels like your gaze<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;find discomfort even<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Disappointment in my own place<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Dreams fulfilled aren't a substitute <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When desires subside<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Even though i have<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;fall short and miserably so<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I&nbsp;need those few more<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The moments we had are now past us<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A&nbsp;do ask for more - let's call it a show<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And have a few more<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: right;">-Arpit Kumar<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">B.A. (Hons.) English; I Year<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">(written on - June 7 , 2009)<br /></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-7967782105047100752009-12-10T20:15:00.001+05:302009-12-15T11:20:59.359+05:30Panel Discussion on the Future of Theatre in India<div style="text-align: justify;">The Literary Society organised an interactive panel discussion on the future of theatre in India on the 19th of November, 2009. The panel included Mr. Arvind Gaur, Founder, ASMITA; Ms. Misha Singh, Director, Black Cow Company and Ms. Kaustubhi Shukla, Member, Lakshya, Kamla Nehru College.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The discussion began with Ms. Shukla, who shared the motif of theatre in the university. She expressed her concern over the stereotypical approach towards theatre; theatre motivated by clichéd social causes like child labour and dowry. Theatre working with these issues is best suited to the form of street theatre – which, she believed, has become too monotonous. At the same time, she did not downplay these issues at all but stressed on the need to present them in a more entertaining manner. Being a final year student, she also shared her fears and doubts regarding working outside the support system of college life as a theatre professional.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ms. Singh carried the discussion forward by delving into the problems faced by new-age theatre houses. She gave examples from her own experience, of how it was difficult to first get sponsors and then audiences for a production as hilarious as the Black Cow Company’s ‘Complete Works of William Shakespeare’. Lack of adequate sponsorship forces many a theatre house to transfer the burden on entry tickets, which then discourages people from buying them. A way out of this, she suggested, would be for people themselves to come forward and proactively demand their school/college/municipal authority to provide better infrastructure for theatres on a local level. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, Mr. Gaur changed the flow of the discussion by making a passionate case for not just the survival but the growth of theatre in the twenty-first century. Critiquing the repressive cultural policies of the State, he argued that it was because of the confinement of theatre within elitist academic institutions that theatre is perceived as a dying art form. He drew attention to long-standing theatre groups like his own, ASMITA, which function completely outside the ambit of government or corporate sponsorship. Mass appeal and support, he said, should be the focus of any theatre group for it is through these alone that theatre can bring about changes in society. In this context, he opined, campus theatre has an important role in nurturing holistic individuals better equipped to engage with society.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The seminar concluded with a question-answer session after which each of the panelists summed up their opinions on the topic. The unanimous verdict: in spite of setbacks, theatre is still very much alive and full of transformative potential.<br /></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-87972373789049081442009-10-30T19:52:00.000+05:302009-10-30T19:52:54.525+05:30Music in Context<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur1JEmvfRI/AAAAAAAAADo/ALTEhQK8VuI/s1600-h/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Ammu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur1JEmvfRI/AAAAAAAAADo/ALTEhQK8VuI/s200/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Ammu.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Music is an integral part of social life and social interaction. Having this idea in mind, the Literary Society, Ramjas College decided to hold a two day seminar, <em>Music in Context</em> on the 22nd and 23rd of October, 2009. Incorporating various genres of music, some members of the society made presentations on the type of music that appealed to them and its larger social connotations.<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur1RsosvvI/AAAAAAAAADw/JTt0597cEWI/s1600-h/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Abhimanyu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur1RsosvvI/AAAAAAAAADw/JTt0597cEWI/s200/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Abhimanyu.jpg" vr="true" /></a>On the first day, proceedings began with Anubhav Pradhan and Rhea Srivastava making a presentation on the Bollywood music of the 1950’s and 60’s. Their presentation made the Natya Shastra’s theory of the ‘Navarasa’ the basis of exploring emotion in this genre of music. They supplemented the evolution and transition of music during this era by showing clips of the songs they had chosen for investigation. The next presentation of the day was made by Mihir Kumar Jha on contemporary Bollywood music. Picking up recent songs such as ‘Jiggy Wiggy’, ‘Tinka Tinka’, ‘Haddipa’ etc, Mihir tried to explore why these songs have such a huge following.<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur2MRGpd7I/AAAAAAAAAD4/CUBb70-ATZs/s1600-h/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Kriti+and+Arpit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur2MRGpd7I/AAAAAAAAAD4/CUBb70-ATZs/s200/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Kriti+and+Arpit.jpg" vr="true" width="150" /></a>The second day started with a presentation by Ammu Sanyal on western folk music, ranging from the 1960's to the 80's, with special reference to Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. She focussed upon the story-like quality of this music, which is embedded with various social reflections and messages, and the centrality of lyrics in it. Abhimanyu Pandey introduced the audience to the music of the Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog, while also explaining this musician’s contribution to the contemporary Tibetan society and to world music at large. The third presentation of the day was by Isha Banerjee, who spoke on the development of Goth Music in the 1980s. She gave a multimedia Power-Point presentation to demonstrate the 'gloomy, melancholic nature of the genre' and its focus on the darker side of the human psyche. The final presentation of the day and for the seminar was made by Kriti Sharma and Arpit Kumar&nbsp;on the Rock Music of the 1980's and its various sub-genres. The two elaborated upon the evolution of Rock with a sociological analysis of representative songs from its various sub-genres.<br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">The seminar ended with a vote of thanks by the society’s president, Anubhav Pradhan, to all the participants, volunteers and the audience.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur2gs5H_4I/AAAAAAAAAEA/USnhazgBM_c/s1600-h/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Poor+attendance!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sur2gs5H_4I/AAAAAAAAAEA/USnhazgBM_c/s200/Day+2+(Music+in+Context)-+Poor+attendance!.jpg" vr="true" /></a><br /></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-89899504071097212662009-10-12T00:17:00.000+05:302009-10-12T00:17:21.882+05:30There's no point of reference<div style="text-align: center;">(Written, 18th August, 2009: inspired by a dream on the night before)<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's no point of reference <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">no sense of presence <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">only absolute darkness; <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I am ruptured, floating<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">without any structure,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">the darkness is cold and soothing<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">it reminds of the sweet winters<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and then there's the white snow <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">trickling down so slow;<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">falling into a heap<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">as if making a snowman by itself, <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">after the motion was arrested <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">i don't know for how long<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">there was no time to know;<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">a slice of snow withered <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">off the heap ,as if unvealing a statue<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">so white and magnifique,<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">This withered snow undid the darkness<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">painting this canvas - white with one stroke<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and so the statue broke<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">broke its silence <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">defying stone by delicate wings<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">like a butterfly out of cocoon<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">wings white , white o my fairy white <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">she whirled and tempted me <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">ruptured , floating , i followed <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">She brought with her dense white clouds <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">she sat on them sensuously<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">her white gown barely covering her chest<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and one leg hanging down <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and the other fixed under her thighs<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">the cloud flew over a path<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">structured like a rainbow<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">just no colors , white again<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">the only other colour<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">of her skin <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">her clinched fist opened <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">like a bud , does on a sleepy morning <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">her fingers delicate , inviting;<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">like she hid secrets <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">of nature in her bosom <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">ruptured , floating , i followed <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">The dense cloud , i couldn't touch<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">i had to climb <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">no sense of what;<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">she was no goddess<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">she was willing to bless<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">i was ruptured , she healed <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">her voice of the calm ocean<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">her eyes its blue essence<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">no darkness now<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">only white with snow<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I went for the forbidden<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">sure i couldn't touch <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">she wasn't there anymore<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">only the white clouds<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">which weren't white anymore<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">poof ! went one and the other<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and another, one by one<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">i fell into the black<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">spiralling spiralling <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">back to the darkness<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">where there's no point of reference<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">no sense of presence <br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">only absolute darkness<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">-Arpit Kumar<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">B.A. (Hons.) English;&nbsp;I Year<br /></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-91452324879036978992009-09-27T20:44:00.000+05:302009-09-27T20:44:23.618+05:30My Country, My Pride?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sr-AwIY_4JI/AAAAAAAAADg/XhXDQCyVEx0/s1600-h/john_ramjas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" iq="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sr-AwIY_4JI/AAAAAAAAADg/XhXDQCyVEx0/s320/john_ramjas.JPG" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">- John Guite<br /></div><div style="text-align: right;">B.Com (Hons.); II year<br /></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-22663026994267661902009-09-14T20:07:00.002+05:302009-09-14T20:25:55.965+05:30Gray-blackThe gray-black canvas<br />kept its promise<br />and hope wet our eyes<br />as another spell filled our parched hearts<br />with much needed bliss<br />The season of rains; when the dusty earth<br />rekindles its aroma<br />Does it lave away human trauma?<br />Dull colors above and the dampness under<br />A motor honk; an occasional thunder;<br />Drips; more drips<br />Fill puddles<br />And pools that mirrors<br />Our down-the-memory-lane trips<br />and help find answers..<br />As to why people grit teeth<br />yet try to smile<br />The weather seems fine as compared<br />to unperceivable guile<br />Shriveled thoughts precede corked speeches<br />of a murkier daily life<br />Hasty greetings and hurried farewells<br />lest things turn sore<br />And may explain why they fear strife<br />lest it lead them<br />to be marooned in the miseries of life<br />Dingy black alleyways and coal-smeared barrels<br />a half tarred road ;ditches; rails<br />All washed clean<br />For the heavens cry at the ordeal below<br />But we are better-off<br />We have seen wars and plagues and things in ruins<br />We’ve become... hollow<br />After a hard day<br />for another “gray-black” we pray <br /><div align="right">-Shibaji Ray</div><div align="right">B.A.(Hons) History; I Year</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-24369158450926754182009-09-14T19:46:00.019+05:302009-09-14T20:36:12.515+05:30Report: Politics Seminar<div align="justify">Student politics has for long been a matter of contention in India and when it comes to the University of Delhi, the idea of politics evokes all possible derogatory connotations. It was keeping these very negative associations in mind that the Literary Society organised a three day seminar-from 31st August to 2nd September-on <em>Politics in Delhi University</em>. On each day guests were invited to share valuable insights into the machinations of the system; later on, episodes of the satirical British sitcom <em>Yes, Prime Minister!</em> were screened to provide comic relief.</div><div align="justify"><br />On the first day, Mr. Debraj Mookerjee, former Election Officer, Ramjas College, discussed the concept of isolates and advised the student community to shed their apolitical attitude. Being apolitical, he stressed, is to be indifferent, towards not just the supposedly dirty world of politics in the macrocosm but also towards one’s own problems in the microcosm. He emphasised the importance of participation, leadership and mobilisation-of individuals as well as ideas-for bringing change in the existing political system. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sq5ZruLxL6I/AAAAAAAAADI/F0hWL2PzGZM/s1600-h/Day+2-+Safwan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sq5ZruLxL6I/AAAAAAAAADI/F0hWL2PzGZM/s320/Day+2-+Safwan.jpg" /></a></div><br />The second day saw Mr. Safwan Amir and Mr. Nayanjyoti, both former Secretaries, Ramjas Students’ Union, address the gathering. Mr. Amir shared amusing anecdotes from his wealth of experience as a student representative and talked about the nexus of power between the Union and the college administration. This, he hinted, was one of the primary reasons behind the widespread corruption and misuse of authority in the Union. However, he also indicted student community at large for being responsible for this sorry state of affairs and passionately advocated active involvement over passive rejection as the solution to the ills ailing our political system. His analogy of the lion and the lion-tamer-the former being unaware of its own superior strength-made an instant connect with the audience.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sq5Zx7gPPcI/AAAAAAAAADQ/cjXMwUNnLyw/s1600-h/Day+2-+Nayanjyoti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sq5Zx7gPPcI/AAAAAAAAADQ/cjXMwUNnLyw/s320/Day+2-+Nayanjyoti.jpg" /></a></div></div><div align="justify"><br />Thereafter, Mr. Nayanjyoti talked about the shallowness of so-called liberal intellectuals and their insensitivity towards poverty, unemployment and inclusive development. Highlighting the inter-connectivity of such seemingly diverse socio-economic phenomena as globalisation, neo-capitalisation, privatisation, he exposed the ideologies of indifference which liberal humanitarian education and pedagogy engenders. In the end, he appealed for participation in the political process not just for its own sake but with a sense of responsibility and interrogation.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sq5Z2IBAjGI/AAAAAAAAADY/nyiSrLotS8U/s1600-h/Day+3-+Manu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_I_KaBYRCRQk/Sq5Z2IBAjGI/AAAAAAAAADY/nyiSrLotS8U/s320/Day+3-+Manu.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />The two presidential candidates for this year’s Ramjas Students’ Union election were invited to opine upon the relevance of politics in the University on the last day. While Mr. Sunil Singh was forced to cancel his engagement due to unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Manu Pande talked about bringing honesty and transparency into the system. He reminisced about his own apolitical attitude of the previous two years and stressed upon the urgent need to effect qualitative changes in the Union in particular and the student community at large in general. He also vouched to work towards creating a harassment and violence free atmosphere in Ramjas. Later on, he answered questions from the audience. </div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-58828748335037033692009-09-12T13:02:00.010+05:302009-09-14T20:33:19.914+05:30Climate change, people and policyThe decisions that world leaders, will make in <city st="on"></city><place st="on"></place>Copenhagen</place><//place></city><//city>, in December 2009, will be some of the most important that world will take for years to come. They are not only important for curbing climate change all over the world but are vital for security and sustainable development that <place st="on"></place>South Asia</place><//place> hopes to achieve.<br />Climate change holds great significance for millions in south <place st="on"></place>Asia</place><//place>. Flooding of the Kosi river has left millions homeless in Bihar and Nepal, cyclones such as the Nargis have displaced millions more in Burma, Bangladesh, and West Bengal, heavy rain storms have caused disastrous landslides all over the Himalayan range. And now a weakening monsoon and the drought like situation has caused thousands of farmers to commit suicide. Although none of these natural disasters can be directly linked to climate change the impact that global warming has on natural weather phenomena is undeniable. [1] <br />The most vulnerable to natural disasters are the poor who have had almost no hand to play in contributing to this intensifying problem and who have born the brunt, weather it be in death or in facing un-imaginable poverty.<br />The poor must be kept in the fore front of any policy making or deals that governments might strike internationally. The so far muted voices of the poor must be heard, only a co-operating world can see substantial change in the climate as well as living standers of millions of people. <br /><country-region st="on"></country-region><place st="on"></place>India</place><//place></country-region><//country-region> is contributing important steps towards reversal of this calamitous situation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already set up the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), eight missions forming its core.<br />(I) National Solar Plan (II) National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (III) National Mission on Sustainable Habitat (IV) National Water Mission (V) National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-System (VI) National Mission for a Green India (VII) National Mission for a sustainable Agriculture and (VIII) National Mission on strategic knowledge for climate change. <br /><div style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"></div>Of these eight missions, the first two, the National Solar Mission and the National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency are ready for implementation after deliberation by the Prime Ministers council on climate change.<br />For the remaining six mission comities involving different ministries have been set up, under the co-ordination of the Prime Ministers office. These comities include trained professionals and technical groups that have worked towards and prepared mission documents for each mission. Each mission has initiated research in its own field to be better equipped to handle the specific problems and deliver relevant solutions. <br />A more concrete example of implementing a sustainable plan is the government’s endeavors in the field of transport, identified as a major guzzler of energy producing pollution and heat. <br />In this regard the government is trying to promote the use of public transport and limit private vehicle use.<br />Apart from strengthening its policies within <country-region st="on"></country-region>India</country-region><//country-region>, which include steps to increase the use of renewable energy and increase forest cover, <country-region st="on"></country-region><place st="on"></place>India</place><//place></country-region><//country-region> has taken various international decisions such as in July this year, world leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to strive to keep global temperature rise within a two degree threshold. <br />A combined effort is needed, the world community has to come together to safe guard the futures of nations.<br />The world community also has to realize a statistical division of responsibility is not going to work, a developed nation with a population of 5.3 million (Finland) can not have similar carbon emissions to a developing country like India which is larger is size and has a much higher population.<br />Having said that, <country-region st="on"></country-region><place st="on"></place>India</place><//place></country-region><//country-region> must realize that following the western model of development is potentially disastrous. Not only do we have to reverse this catastrophic damage, we have to find new ways of equitable sustainable development. A stand <country-region st="on"></country-region>India</country-region><//country-region> must take with the international community in <city st="on"></city><place st="on"></place>Copenhagen</place><//place></city><//city> later this year. <br />References:<br />1. The Hindu – dated August 31<sup>st</sup> 2009, climate change and development. <br />Ed Miliband and Douglas Alexander.<br />2 Economic and political weekly- dated August 8<sup>th</sup>-14<sup>th</sup> 2009, exploring <br />climate regimes by Lavanya Rajmani<br /><div style="margin-left: 2.75in; text-align: right; text-indent: 45pt;">K. Ammu Sanyal </div><div style="margin-left: 2.75in; text-align: right; text-indent: 45pt;">B.A. (Hons.)&nbsp;History; III year</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-22015213687083497212009-09-08T20:32:00.005+05:302009-09-14T20:34:07.229+05:30a critical appreciation- indifference /our salvation ?<div align="justify">nobody likes critics...at some point of time everyone has borne the brunt of harsh critical appraise .It is hard on the psyche(with cause and effect) intimidating ,overly/beastly patronizing,and more than anything seems to give the preacher a sense of sadistic satisfaction which is the worst part .many fine decisions turn awry at the slightest thought of a melancholyboring and painful critical session.also it can be slow and deliberate at times sometimes unseen and at other times very vague but all too obvious.<br /><br />many are of the opinion that it is a healthy practice and an exercise to modulate and harness our capabilities technically - that may as well be true (when this institution is implicated in its true spirit).but things turn ugly when criticism becomes deliberate and is done for the sake of demoralising someone - which also upto a certain level depends on what the person being criticized considers as 'demoralizing or emotionally threatening/draining'also as it isn't easy for many to accept being ranked below what they think is their rightful position , many go over the edge taking drastic measures such as self-detention or develop suicidal tendencies or end up being segrated social outcasts.<br /><br />however one should not get the idea that our degradation is the examiner's greatest trimuph .the examiner may just have a different point of view/opinion on a subject or may not have the versatility of ideas of the examinee (or bluntly speaking not have full knowledge of them) an examiner with enough goodwill intent will explain the reasons of being negated without sarcasm and as a gesture of acknowledgement may even offer help to the examinee<br /><br />comparing itself is a hard task.it cannot be determined whether or not we tend to be true to ourselves, we are humans and obviously either due to preconceived prejudices tend to overlook sound facts often failing to differenciate between a prodigious entitity and a layman. however critical views reflect the mindset of the reviewer upto a certain point it shows whether the person engaged in criticizing is playing with one's insecurities ,whether the person is a hypocrite when it comes to the implication of ideas in practice.at other times it reflects the twisted ideas that goes on in the minds of both the individuals involved<br /><br />some people compare critical mechanisms as pro neo-bullish ideologies which are fully commited to harassment albeit a psychological one. some have even agreed critics need mental ailment and a lot of love. some have even called it pure negative energy at work. maybe it is process of evolution at work and in a few years we find ourseives in a 'highly organized analytical world/a highly pessimistic collective group' based on the moment to moment choices we make.<br /><br />sometimes critics do not meet the criteria of being one.... such pseudo-half wit-makebelieve/fake intellectuals have been responsible for the end of many rising and established talents which even sometimes has even consolidated their own reigns.this is true in all walks of life - and more than often is a reason for lack of revolution/change that is necessary for progress.it tends to trap life into a set pattern of grids and strong conservationism<br /><br />it has often been argued that critics are what they claim us to be i.e people who've practically given up doing what they comment upon and therefore can be called sore losers.it is not necessary critics are always failure because there is no pure defination of failure as there is no pure defination of winning nobody is born a genius or a dunce...........its what when we choose to overide fate and move on .it is our sole decision to let things overwhelm us and remain inure or to look around and endure.whether we allow ourself to break out of a singularity/mould and see - as they say the veiled face of the moon<br /><br />a question is whether criticism generates indifference directly or indirectly...........what is its potential to harm or benefit us (and if yes then in what way), is it the same for us ?- is it universal for all and what approach do we follow to endear itself to us /us to it ?is it a hit and trial method of trying to improve or degrade ourself in the long run.one thing we'll need to realize sooner or later is that there'll always be a critic whether there is an artist/inventor/philosophist/theorist and we might as well get used to them<br /><br />we might ask ourselves what critics really mean to us ;individually and collectively as a societyand we may come up with conflicting answersbut maybe we need them.......... to survive we need them and their aura, siphon it into anything we can remotely call love/hate and need to ingest this heavy tonic....and i think is the reason we need maybe we desperately need this..... and maybe it is the need of the hour and maybe it is this difference which counts...which will countand i look forward to it......</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="right">- Shibaji Ray</div><div align="right">B.A.(Hons.) History; I Year </div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-12129274966756572052009-09-02T20:00:00.002+05:302009-09-14T20:35:02.858+05:30Change is in MeI could hear them from a distance, their endless cry. The rhythmic counting of ek, do, teen, char that created a funny feeling. Then, followed by an entourage came the candidate who did a killing Deepika Padukone hand waving act before shaking my hand and asking for my precious vote. I am not that big a fan of Tata Tea so I didn't move my lips a little to ask her about her Job Profile. Elections, who cares? We made fun of them and continued our friendly banter.<br /><br />After a while or so, we were again approached by this person who looked very nervous on his face unlike the very confident Miss Padukone. He told us how he planned to stand for the post of college president as an independent. Curious, by nature I quizzed him further to gain a little knowledge on how things worked. He was pretty cooperative and answered all our queries pretty well, that was the first time I got to know the date of voting. He introduced us to his agenda .The whole hierarchy below the president's post is nothing but a bunch of puppets and things can be changed only by the power of this post. He confessed that he knew he would lose. I actually knew that -the moment I heard him say the word 'independent'. He was a bright young fellow who had ideas, ideas that can lead to change.<br /><br />Curious by the hope he held in his eyes - I googled a bit and found out what it was all about. In this year's general elections, In the South Bombay constituency a higher executive of ABN Amro bank named Meera Sanyal - fought as an independent candidate and created a huge roar in the media. She featured in every possible talk show and asked educated people to jump in. She lost by a record margin of votes in that constituency. But, as a result, of that hype - on an average 3 more independents contested on each of the 540 seats. That is roughly around 1600 more politicians to choose from, out of which even if 30% are honest enough that is around 500. Then we have a parliament with 500 honest politicians only if you vote right. That is the power of an individual in our society.<br /><br />Another factor that might have never crossed your mind before is that these people who stand for Elections in Delhi University aren't here to gain popularity among their peers or to just see themselves in powerful positions. Most of them do garner the ambition of getting into hardcore real politics and by not putting up any resistance - we become the ultimate losers. It is not of any use to tell you how useless most of these people are because we are no better. <br /><br />So, as we are about to select our own representatives soon - I push forward this appeal to you to go on the 4th of September to make a change. Otherwise, who knows Miss Padukone might just end up leading our country – one fine day. And remember the change is in me. <br />These links might help you to make up your mind.<br /><a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/News/newdelhi/Defaced-walls-herald-DU-student-elections/Article1-445373.aspx">http://www.hindustantimes.com/News/newdelhi/Defaced-walls-herald-DU-student-elections/Article1-445373.aspx</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.du.ac.in/du/Code_of_Conduct.pdf">http://www.du.ac.in/du/Code_of_Conduct.pdf</a><br /><br />Do try and search information about the candidates before voting, it just takes a minute - have a look at notice boards in the college. Enquire about the independents.<br /><br /><div align="right">-Arpit Kumar</div><div align="right">B.A. (Hons.) English; I Year</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-72881257744425798692009-08-26T21:11:00.002+05:302009-08-26T21:12:53.702+05:30Metro Trouble<div align="justify">I believe that a Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) like the Delhi Metro is not a feasible, long-term intra-city transport option.<br /><br />Here’s why.<br /><br />As an entirely electricity dependent MRTS, the Delhi Metro naturally consumes a considerable amount of electricity. Nonetheless, there seems to be no general consensus regarding its exact consumption- a <a href="http://www.ireeindia.org/seminar_pdf/energy_efficient_systems_in_stations_of_delhi_metro_final.pdf">paper</a> on the Institution of Railway Electrical Engineers website claims it’s the largest power consumer in Delhi, <a href="http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060509/delhi.htm#top">a May 9, 2006</a> report on the Tribune website puts the same to 45MW, or 1.15%, of the average demand of 3,200MW and a <a href="http://www.delhimetrorail.com/corporates/technicalnotes/tn_electrical.html">write-up</a> on the Metro’s website fixes total consumption to 75+45=120MW or 3.75% of the average demand of 3,200MW. Now, as anybody who’s spent this summer in Delhi knows, the last figure cannot possibly be accurate, for, first, as the channels and papers have been publicising, the total demand at the peak of summer in June was a staggering 1000MW more at around <a href="http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jhiwucbhccc&amp;title=Delhi_power_demand_touches_new_record_of_4,400_MW">4,400MW</a> and second, since this figure is so patently obsolete and the Metro’s network has increased considerably since then, its net consumption of too must’ve gone up. There is, unfortunately, no clear figure for that.<br /><br />Be that as it may, one thing is totally unambiguous: an over-whelming percentage of the Metro’s <a href="http://www.delhimetrorail.com/corporates/technicalnotes/tn_electrical.html">electricity</a> comes from either non-renewable fossil fuels like coal and natural gas or from ecologically unsound hydroelectric power plants in the lower and middle Himalayas. This crucial fact has till now been consistently ignored by media and civil society alike, for even as we rightfully applaud the DMRC for installing a <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/delhi-metro-rail-green-efforts-expand-solar-power-system-emissions-reductions-certified.php">solar power plant</a> on the Connaught Place station and justifiably take pride in it been awarded <a href="http://cleantech.com/news/4201/delhi-metro-earns-carbon-credits-re">carbon credit validation</a> by the German TUVNORD for the use of the innovative regenerative breaking technology, we simultaneously forget that at its core the Metro still functions on hazardous, toxic and ecologically unsafe technologies. Like a majority of successful corporate establishments, all the DMRC does is to stay on the right side of public conscience by adopting small, piece-meal green methods with great fanfare without changing it’s core base of unsound energy generation technologies.<br /><br />What is urgently required, therefore, is a holistic scientific analysis by an independent, unbiased agency on the overall environmental impact of the Metro’s creation and its unfettered expansion.<br /><br />First of all, it must be found out to what extent electricity generation in thermal power plants offsets the Metro’s commendable achievement of <a href="http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Delhi-Metro-helped-save-33-000-tonne-of-fuel-report/200967/0">preventing emission</a> of around 2,275 tonnes of vehicular carbon-dioxide. Indeed, even as we in Delhi celebrate the supposedly modernising influence of the Metro and felicitate it for it’s role in the reduction of vehicular pollution, we overlook the fact that the DMRC characteristically follows conventional Western wisdom of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ by increasingly buying power from a NPTC plant in far-off Orissa. All this happening in the National Capital acquires another, ironical dimension when we consider how the Indian Government cries itself hoarse in every international climate change forum about developed Western nations relocating all their dirty work to developing countries and so making them victims to their insatiable hunger for resources.<br /><br />Similarly, a detailed study on the multi-nuanced ecological impact of the construction of the Metro too is in order. The DMRC claims to be “one <a href="http://www.delhimetrorail.com/corporates/ecofriendly/mrts_ecofriendly.html">of the most eco-friendly projects in Delhi</a>” so it will be worthwhile to find out whether or not it sources construction material like bricks, cement, concrete, girders etc from clean, green and ethical firms instead of the popular run of the mill profit-maximising, unsound businesses. The affects of exposure-whether adverse or not and if so, how much-to fine concrete dust to construction workers and those living near construction sites too must be conclusively established.<br /><br />Moving on, one must also consider the costs involved in maintaining the DMRC’s entire network. Whether or not the Metro makes profits, maintenance costs are bound to go up each year as its assets age. Gradually, in about a decade or so, it’ll be bound to phase out a majority of its existing rolling stock if it still wants to maintain its current high standards and afterwards major changes and upkeep would be required in all the stations as well. It is not wholly inconceivable that as time passes maintenance costs would slowly become a considerable amount of its expenditure so that the DMRC’s huge infrastructure and unmovable assets might just end up as an encumbering public liability. Once again, an unprejudiced investigation is in order to determine whether or not these will eventually become equal to or override the net income.<br /><br />On the whole, I think the DMRC can really not be fully blamed for not being far-sighted enough to anticipate these issues: it is, after all, just a modern replica of a century old transport model carried out under the guidance of a smart and efficient yet aging man. What is surprising, however, is that nobody in Delhi seems to have realised that the Metro, in its current avatar, is only repeating old mistakes and so seems to be going well down the way of becoming an embarrassing liability for the city. Indeed, had even a fraction of the will and money spent in erecting the humongous Metro network been spent on refurbishing roads and revamping the bus system the need for the Metro would never have arisen and the transport problem solved without so much exertion. The very induction of air-conditioned buses in the DTC’s fleet, which will make available to the common citizen a facility till now the Metro’s complete monopoly, coupled with the increase in road space and, so, vehicular traffic raises serious question marks over the very existence of the project as some of its basic objectives get gradually defeated.<br /><br />All of this is not to say that I am against the Metro. No, like all Delhities, I too have more or less enjoyed the Metro experience and do sincerely believe that by setting enviable professional standards it has brought about a sea change in and contributed immensely to the evolution of public attitudes and consciousness, creating, in fact, a whole new ‘Metro culture’ of discipline, responsibility and patience. Nevertheless the Metro is no holy cow and, more now than ever before, we need to evaluate the whole project in a radical, all-encompassing manner and ascertain its viability for the moderately long-term. That alone will be beneficial for the city. </div><div align="justify"><br /> </div><div align="right">- Anubhav Pradhan</div><div align="right">B.A.(Hons) English; Third Year</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-19939096788617164812009-08-17T20:35:00.004+05:302009-09-07T19:48:40.397+05:30The first lesson<div align="justify">Once in the realm of theatre, the first step is to impersonate -to act. The first step of acting is to understand that the term itself is a misnomer .The performer does not just mouth lines , he lives the character .On stage a performer's first duty is to let himself go , lose his own identity; in fact not just his identity but also his own circumstances . A character has some identity of its own and the actor is its bodily representation. If the performer, let's his own identity interfere then he inflicts injustice to the character - however this must not be misunderstood as a step away from improvisation. </div><div align="justify"><br />Every performer has his own methods of enacting a character; but no matter who you are, an amateur or a veteran; nor does it matter, if you are playing the protagonist, the antagonist or a tree in the background - the primary step is to adopt the identity of the character, his space and his circumstances. Every character comes with a set of traits, good and bad. You gain the character's identity only after you lose your own; once that is done; these traits help the performer to step into the character's shoes. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Improvisation though is a tough cookie. One might question, on how can one character be enacted in many different ways without disturbing these set traits? To answer this, we must understand that these traits are guidelines and not rigid rules. A child who is modeling some clay is fascinated by cars, but it is his wish on how his car would be; what color will the clay will be and what shape the car will be. The child is the character, fascination to cars - his trait, the color of the car for instance is the improvisation. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">But traits aren't the only constraint, which a character has - there are circumstances. A situation with which the character will deal. The actor's primary job then is to analyze , how the character will respond to these circumstances with the constraint of it's traits. Again , to keep in mind , there might be several ways to respond within this constraint because circumstances might and do have an effect on application of traits . Let's add a circumstance to the earlier example, the boy now needs the car to be such that he can race with. Now, won't the perception of color and shape change? </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">To finish, it is important understanding that the ultimate aim of the actor, is neither just to please the audience nor is it gain respect in the eyes of critics - it is to do justice to that character by living it. The actor must also be willing to shun his identity like everyday clothes to adapt to that life, to that space and time for a brief moment. That brief moment is sheer joy.</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="right">Arpit Kumar, B.A.(Hons) English, I Yr.</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-23195234036916783712009-08-09T15:07:00.004+05:302009-08-09T16:52:19.750+05:30THE ELECTION THAT WASElections 2009 were in many ways a celebration of indian democracy , the 16th of may saw the indian national congress emerge as the single largest party and ending an era of regional caste-religeon based politics. when the first general elections were held in india , the times were tough - the country had undergone a painful division and had inherited an odious future . Few would have put their money on India as a successful democracy , but the people have proved time and again that this seventh largest country inhabited by the second largest population of the world is the ideal model of democracy .<br /><br />In a broader view of space and time 60 years are as good as nothing . America has been a free nation since long and for the sake of study if considered an utopia has taken its time . India's growth in these 60 years of hard earned democracy is not just commendable but remarkable. The subcontinent continues to be in a state of anarchy and lawlessness yet india has been able to drive away these hindrances and has paved it's path to gain respect in the eye's of the world as an upcoming superpower .<br /><br />One reason of this sucess is the clarity of India's voter who inspite of hate speeches , irrelevant issues and filth in Indian politics has had a simple vision for India . The three demands they put up should be fulfilled roti , kapda , makaan and the modification given this election season of bijli , sadak , paani . Everything that's between and else is all but flawed - communal and political in nature . Mandir , rath yatra , dalit ki beti and hate speeches are nothing but nice crispy entertainment for the educated middle class and crass useless for the rural Indian.<br /><br />Many saw and predicted a hung parliament this time around and few could have imagined the real outcome. with the upsurge of the elephant , emergence of the volatile third front and a quite a comical fourth - the regional parties were all set to eat away a large share of vote of the two larger parties . Mayawati was garnering hopes of the PM's post because till the D-day everybody thought that she was the queen of UP if she had swept it , things could have been different but the congress's resurgence there and the left's debacle paved the way for singh to be king once again .<br /><br />But one does raise a question was this verdict a disapproval towards the extremist-communal opposition or a verdict for the UPA's five year term ? Political commentators are united on it being the former but one cannot deny the credit that this government deserved , history is proof that the indian voter has voted for stability , for the assertive and not the aggressive , for dynasty as the lesser evil than for the power hungry.<br /><br />Hence the elections 2009 were a victory for the INDIAN and DEFEAT for all others. JAI HO!<br /><br /><br /><div align="right">Arpit Kumar, B.A.(Hons) English, I Yr.</div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-72234217164234208112008-11-23T18:14:00.006+05:302009-09-07T18:14:53.898+05:30Literary Society Annual Inter-College Festival<div align="center"><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:180%;"><strong>WORDSMITH 2008<br /></strong></span><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">The Ramjas Literary Society Annual Festival<br /></span><br /><strong>December 1st, 2nd and 3rd<br /></strong><em>at</em></div><div align="center"><em>Ramjas College,</em></div><div align="center"><em>University of Delhi.</em></div><div align="center"><br /><strong>1st December (<em>Monday</em>)<br /></strong>Spelling Bee (Prelims) 11:30 am<br />Prose Writing (Hindi and English) 1:30 pm<br />Film Screening 2:30 pm<br /><br /><strong>2nd December (<em>Tuesday</em>)<br /></strong>Paper Presentation 11:30 am<br />Declamation (Hindi and English) 1:30 pm<br />Literary Quiz 1:30 pm<br /><br /><strong>3rd December (<em>Wednesday</em>)</strong></div><div align="center">Spelling Bee Finals 11:30 am<br />Poetry Writing(Hindi and English) 1:00 pm<br />Film Screening 2:30 pm </div><div align="center"><br />Prizes for all events: 1st Prize: Rs. 1000.<br />2nd Prize: Rs. 500.<br /><br />For registration* or any other query, contact:<br />Apoorva Sharma, Abhishek Ranjan Datta<br />Or mail to: <a href="mailto:litsoc.ramjas@gmail.com">litsoc.ramjas@gmail.com</a><br /><br />*<em>On spot registrations also accepted on the days of the events.</em></div>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-62553776567389479662008-11-09T20:48:00.002+05:302008-11-09T20:51:42.692+05:30Aakhir Bhagwan Bhi To Mard Hai -Feminism of the Common Man<div align="center"><em>In repentance, to Mrs. Sushm Malhotra</em></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify">“There’s just one more thing”, I said as I rose from the cushioned chair in the Senior Staffroom “Is Mrs. Malhotra really a feminist?”…<br /><br />It was an ordinary day in the last term of my last year at school- which meant that it had been awfully boring. I had just finished chatting with my English teacher R.N.-which was my favourite pastime to enjoyably while away time on such ‘ordinary’ days-and was rising up to leave when suddenly something which a friend had told me some weeks ago came hurtling back and I blurted out with that question.<br /><br />The answer was clear and concise- “Yes, I do think that she is.”<br /><br />I was triumphant, my assumption had proved to be correct. Mrs. M was indeed a feminist- and a hard boiled on at that! Why, how often does one hear somebody, and that too an Indian Hindu woman, complain while teaching a class full of adolescents a chapter on women’s empowerment and liberation that it was actually futile, that she couldn’t really expect them-her pupils-to grasp the essential point of the matter, for, after all said and done, God too was a man-“aakhir bhagwan bhi to mard hai”?<br /><br />Not too often!<br /><br />The remark, of course, created a minor sensation of sorts in Bal Bharati’s twelfth standard society- or at least in that part of it to which I belonged. Mrs. M was quickly and unanimously condemned for what many considered as sacrilege and blasphemy. Even atheists like me conceded that it was a most indiscrete and insensitive comment to let loose in a classroom. For a week or so she became the topic of debates and discussions, unofficial and informal forums which always came to the same, inevitable conclusion- Mrs. M was the worst sort of a woman-a fire breathing dragon in fact!-who hated men completely, did certainly not enjoy happiness in her married life, had perhaps homosexual tendencies and said that provocative thing to just spite the male section of her students (and hence, indirectly, dangerously influence the female portion too!). Anti-social elements like her ought to be bundled off to the savages in some coral island in the Pacific so as to rid society of such raving lunatics.<br /><br />Now, when I look back at that a year and a half or so later, I once again come to a single, inevitable conclusion- what muddle headed dolts, absolute idiots, complete chauvinists we were. As for me, I-I who had always prided himself for being reasonable, sensible and liberal-was the worst of them all for the simple yet now embarrassing fact that I actually had the audacity to go ahead and confirm-and that too long after the incident was dead and almost forgotten-whether or not that good woman was a feminist and had then prided myself for being the discoverer of that then derogatory fact.<br /><br />What a muddle headed dolt was I!<br /><br />When I now look back to my own school days, I see traces of misogyny-at times blatant, often subtle-spread all throughout them. From the now sepia tinted days of the “We Hate Girls Club” in fourth and the “Girls are Idiots Society” in sixth to the Pygmalion-ised, “Never Let a Woman in Your Life” days in twelfth, I had always been what I now, after a year as an undergraduate student of Literature, recognise and call a misogynist. It wasn’t as if I had been walking down to become a strict patriarch- no, I had always been a champion of women’s rights in my circles, had always written the best reports and articles on women’s empowerment in English exams and had always believed in the urgency of eliminating, totally wiping out from the face of this nation, the twin evils of female foeticide and dowry.<br /><br />Yet, somehow, I never ceased to hold girls as my mental inferiors. That is not to say that I did not respect my intelligent female colleagues in school for their talents-and there were plenty all rounders who were my superiors-but it was just that I did all of this along with extolling a Henry Higginian sort of attitude towards women.<br /><br />I’m surprised that it never struck me- I was such a hypocrite in that context.<br /><br />But then, I suppose I am really not alone in this- this indeed is a class to which most Indian men-and a majority of the women too-belong. Our whole social structure is like that- two (or perhaps more) faced and duplicate, a monstrous edifice which on one hand waxes eloquent on women’s rights and such like humanitarian issues and on the other indoctrinates medieval patriarchal concepts and ideologies through the daily humdrum routine of life. For medieval it now seems to have wondered about Mrs. M’s married life- not just medieval but also completely disgusting.<br /><br />It is one of India’s abiding paradoxes that while we in principle gave women all constitutional rights, we still unabashedly continue to consider them our inferiors. We may all vehemently and vociferously deny this, but nevertheless, there are very few men in whom misogyny has not found a safe haven. That I, a ‘liberal’, ‘enlightened’ and so called ‘forward looking’ mind right in the beginning of the twenty-first century could roundly criticise feminists as dangerous weeds to be plucked out of society is proof enough of this.<br /><br />Political correctness is a significant factor which all of us ‘enlightened’ minds consciously or not take into consideration when publicly stating out support for so called ‘women’s’ issues (why ‘women’s’? why not ‘human’? why alienate them as things which do not affect men?). So, while many of us ‘officially’, ‘on record’ and ‘publicly’ speak out in favour of reforms and change (and thus unwittingly campaign for what traditionally have been feminist concerns!), we baulk at the very mention of the word feminist and, by dismissing them as either deranged or sexed up lesbians (very few can imagine, let alone accept, the idea of a ‘male’ feminist), betray our poor understanding of the subject. Indeed, the common man’s abysmal comprehension of the same can be gauged from the startlingly amusing fact that many confuse feminist for feminine and thus regard it as a grave affront to any ‘self-respecting man’s manliness’ to be connected in any way whatsoever with the same. I write from personal experience, for I have close friends who have aired exactly the same views.<br /><br />We are all in some way or the other like the oh-so-admirable Professor Higgins- we all wish to create our own Galatea’s, our most, but not quite, equals in life. We may become accustomed to their faces-to our political correctness-but they’ll still remain the ‘baggages’ and ‘damn nuisances’ which they were right from the very beginning.<br /><br />Oh Mrs. M, you were so right- ‘Bhagwan’-the Sculptor, the God-too, after all said and done, is naught but a ‘mard’.<br /><br /><br /><em>Note-This document is an exact reproduction of the original manuscript written by the same author on the 9th of June, 2008.</em></div><em></em><br /><strong>BY: ANUBHAV PRADHAN, B.A. Hons (Eng) II Year.</strong>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7421613196770564251.post-51977878056729020872008-09-08T23:57:00.000+05:302008-09-09T00:08:36.258+05:30AwakeningIt was an ordinary day,<br />The sun rose,<br />Just as beautiful as it always does,<br />I sat down to describe its beauty,<br />Its warmth,<br />its splendor,<br />I felt it was my duty.<br />I could hear the birds chirping,<br />I could hear their sweet twittering,<br />There were those huge oak branches swaying,<br />As if dancing,<br />And the leaves rustling,<br />To the soft melody,<br />Of the gentle breeze.<br />Yes! It was just another ordinary day,<br />And as always there were the chirping birds,<br />But as I sat down to write,<br />I felt,<br />As if I had no words!!<br /><br />What had happened?<br />All of a sudden!!<br />How could I lose my ability?<br />When all my life I’ve been writing poetry.<br />What had happened?<br />I could not understand!<br />So confused, so muddled,<br />My mind just wouldn’t apprehend!<br />And there I was,<br />Lost in my sea of thoughts,<br />Yet couldn’t produce a single word on paper.<br /><br />But one thing I knew for sure<br />My mind was right, my heart- pure.<br />What was amiss?<br />I knew not.<br />But, I knew I had to find the reason,<br />And fast. Else it’ll be too late.<br />I threw my pen and cursed my fate!<br />Yet! Ah my life with its sorrows abound,<br />Poetry was where solace I found!<br />Now that was gone too -Oh God!<br />I need your help, My Lord!<br /><br />I set to a hard day’s work,<br />Crossing many dangers,<br />Asking every stranger.<br />It was a long, tiresome task,<br />But I noticed something really strange-<br />Each man wore a different mask,<br />Different from its own identity.<br />“Was it some kind of enmity-?”<br />I questioned myself,“From their own soul and self?<br />“Which led them to live such a life?<br />They weren’t free- rather scared.<br />Asi f there were this huge knife,<br />somewhere close by, waiting to slice off their head,<br />While they waited and waited.<br />“Is this life all about?” I thought.<br />If yes, then I felt I was blessed.<br />I was free, I was careless<br />Of that I was sure.<br />And I started my journey back home.<br />Yet there was sorrow, and a piercing pain.<br />After all, what I had lost,<br />Was precious, not mundane.<br />The more I thought about it,<br />The more I seemed to regret.<br />What had happened was not my fault,<br />Yet I couldn’t forget.<br />“Is this what life’s all about?”<br />I asked myself,<br />But this time I got no reply.<br /><br />As I was returning,<br />Walking in the rain to hide my tears,<br />I saw this innocent face,<br />Which knew nothing but fears.<br />“Is this what life’s all about?”<br />I asked myself yet again<br />And this time I got my answer-<br />‘Life, in itself, is one great pain”<br />All of a sudden, my words returned to me!<br />But this time,<br />I won’t waste them on things mundane,<br />I have a purpose now,<br />I am aimless no more,<br />Just one different day changed my life,<br />Made me see huger and strife,<br />Pain and loss, and anguish of the soul,<br />But- no more!<br />But- no more!<br /><p>BY: Kriti Sharma, B.A. Hons. English 1st year.</p>The Literary Society, Ramjas Collegehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012361934178245950noreply@blogger.com5